May 9 - MeteoGroup has acquired Nowcasting International, a global weather forecasting company specialising in metocean solutions for the offshore industry.

Founded in 1999 and with a customer base across the whole maritime market from the North Sea to South East Asia and the Middle East, Nowcasting International brings over a decade of experience and global expertise. Specialising in innovative technology for offshore operations, Nowcasting International is also the developer of Nowcasting Pro, a cutting-edge product for delivering forecast information.

MeteoGroup, Europe's largest private weather forecasting company, has a specialist maritime division based in the Netherlands providing a full portfolio of marine services, including SPOS, the market-leading weather routing service for shipping.

MeteoGroup's marine forecasting skills will be combined with the expertise of Ireland-based Nowcasting International to create MeteoGroup Offshore, a dedicated division supplying market-leading meteorological and oceanographic products and services to the offshore industry.

Jennie Campbell, MeteoGroup MD commented: "The acquisition of Nowcasting International broadens our portfolio of services for the offshore industry and bolsters MeteoGroup's position as a leading supplier to this market. The addition of such an experienced team will enable us to really drive the business forward in this area."

Nowcasting International CEO, Mark White added: "This is an exciting time for both companies. Our mission has always been to provide customers with world class marine forecasting services through the application of innovative technology and we look forward to building on this strategy as part of MeteoGroup Offshore."